Puppet Strings
by FreeJayFly
Summary: Finding and picking apart things in search for a deeper meaning behind some things that happen in life. This was written more as a self finding one-shot more than an actual fanfiction. Includes my OC, Jaydin Byrd.


_**Puppet Strings**_

The curtains drew back upon the small stage that was set out in front of her. Very soon, a spotlight was cast upon center stage, illuminating that one spot. As the time drew on, a female puppet soon made its way onto the stage, the strings holding it making it look as it she were actually walking (albeit, a tad awkwardly) onto the stage.

Following her appearance, a male puppet was brought onto the stage from the other side. The actions stayed silent for those few small moments till it was made that two of the puppets were made to be bumping into one another. The reactions portrayed through the puppets reflected surprise and shock as they were pulled away from one another and then the female's hand was brought up to her face.

"Oh my! I'm so terribly sorry! I didn't mean to – I was only trying to be getting to that place across the street," a young woman's voice called out, acting the part of the female puppet. After that was stated, the male puppet was made to be giving a bow.

"It's not a problem at all, miss... the fault is all mine, for I didn't look as to where I was going," the same voice came, this time a few notches deeper so that young woman operating the puppets could be acting out the male well. As the acts carried on, the young woman soon dropped the wooden handles that carried the puppets on them and stood up.

A set of wide, piercing blue eyes peered up at the woman as she turned to be making her way out of the room that they were in. Soon, the small body of the Gengar was revealed and he quickly hovered to be at his human's side. While he did, his ears twitched with discomfort – there was something up with his human; he could sense it and see it in the way that she carried herself.

Keeping to himself as he quietly followed along after her, it was soon made clear as to where it was they were going. The half-sized Gengar could only really shake his head to the destination at hand, though he still continued along after the long-haired brunette as she flashed her badge to the tower monks that were standing guard.

"I really have to keep doing this...? It's been years that I've lived here..." the young woman murmured, curling her fingers back over her badge and then looking from the monk to the door of the tower. Giving a shake of her head and holding her hand up as the monk started to say 'Jaydin', she just took hold of the handle and pulled the door to the tower open. There wasn't really any time, in her mind, for small talk that may come her way. She was here to be clearing her head, after all.

Climbing her way to be at the very top of the tower, it was when Jaydin achieved arriving at her destination that she just stood there for a good few moments. Her eyes scanned over the scenery that was laid out before her and then gave the faintest of smiles to how she perceived it all to look to her. The city of Ecruteak – especially with all it's colours slowly starting to flourish with the welcoming of summer.

Closing her eyes for a moment, Jaydin just stretched her arms high over her head and took in a deep breath, just taking in the weather for what it was worth. It was when the winds started to tug at her hair that she opened her eyes once more and then made her way to be crawling to an outcropping that was there upon the roof. Taking a seat, Jaydin allowed for her feet to dangle as her expression became pensive and she looked out to the trees that were below her.

"Gen... gengar..?" Trépas suddenly said, taking a seat in his human's lap.

Jaydin's smile faded before she wrapped her arms around the Ghost-Type Pokémon. There were too many things that she could be saying in response to the question that he asked... so many things that she could make up. Though, with said made up excuses, the Gengar would have been calling her out on it right then and there.

"I wanted to think... it was getting boring where we were..." Jaydin started, casting her gaze up toward the sky. She tightened her hold on the Gengar before continuing; "and those puppets kind of had me thinking, Trépas..."

The Gengar – now known as Trépas – merely pinned his ears back some and then tilted his head up to be looking at his human friend. There was a sense of curiousness that started to bubble within his body as he continued to keep his eyes glued to Jaydin. After a moment, he started to wonder if she was even going to be continuing with what it was she was trying to be explaining to him.

"The puppets are just handcrafted dolls that people can use..." Jaydin quietly continued, pulling her arms from the Gengar and then holding her hands out in front of her. She moved her fingers somewhat, as if she were pulling strings again on the puppets she had not even two hours ago. However, the action didn't last that long before she lowered her hands and then moved her left one to be placed upon her right shoulder. Over the tattoo that read 'NOVA'.

"Gar gen gengar..?" Trépas asked, twitching an ear to what Jaydin had just said.

"'Past memories..?'" Jaydin repeated, turning her attention down to Trépas. A small and amused scoff escaped from her lips before she gave an actual answer to his questioning: "well... I suppose that you could say that I've been having a lot on my mind since that time with Team Rocket. Heh... I know that it was so long ago... but I can't help but think about some of the things that happened there. Now that I can think without _her_ there. Now that I don't feel as if I'm being watched every second... However... after actually digging up those puppets, it got me to think about what purpose Nova and Aias served... what they would have been if they existed today."

A hiss came from Trépas at the mention of the two names and he then pinned his ears back sharply. Pushing back into Jaydin with a small scowl, Trépas fell silent and decided that he'd be better off listening to what it was Jaydin had to be saying. If there were any topic he didn't like straying into, it was the topic of Nova and Aias – the two Team Rocket human weapons experiments gone terribly wrong.

"It was a few moments after holding onto the handles of the puppets that I started to think and realize something..." Jaydin turned her head to be looking down, her gaze fixed upon nothing in particular. "The serum that was injected into both I and my... 'brother'... that was something that took control of out consciousness... took control of our bodies and forced us to do things we normally wouldn't."

Silence lingered in the air for a few moments before Jaydin gave a sigh and then continued with what it was she had to be saying; "after thinking about how I was controlling the puppets to be doing what I had them doing... I thought of the serum being like the puppet master behind all of what we did – and in a sense, that is a truth. One that neither myself or he would want to accept. A truth that we would rather turn our back to and abandon."

Hearing that, Trépas gave a small growl and then reached out for Jaydin's arm, touching the set of teal beads that were wrapped around wrist and arm. It was when she shifted to be better seated that Trépas withdrew his arm and then looked back up to Jaydin. His scowling expression had turned from that to being questioning. After all, she had been silent for quite some time. He figured that this must have been heavier on her mind than he initially thought.

"I know that it's probably silly for me to be thinking about this..." Jaydin admitted, wrapping her arms back around the blue-eyed Gengar and then leaning her chin on top of his head. "Though... back then, it was perceived that Team Rocket was disbanded when in all actuality, they were still around, but keeping quiet. I have to wonder if that was because of the experiments that they held. It still disgusts me to think that they would do that people – and teenagers, no less."

At this time, Jaydin furrowed her brow in thought as she continued to be keeping her mind on the subject at hand. Even her hold on Trépas tightened a small bit as a small sigh expelled from her lips. At that, Trépas reached out once again and patted her arm to be comforting to her if that is what she needed.

"Sometimes I think that perhaps that that was the only thing that gave my life meaning. To be under the Rockets' control – even if it scared me... even if I found myself wanting no part of it at all," Jaydin spoke, closing her eyes and kicking her legs lightly. "Now that it's been years and my other found a way to be reversing it, there's been nothing more to be doing. I'm finished with my adventures and done all that I could be that satisfied my wants. There may have been cases of Nova showing herself, though luckily, I was never caught again. Never took back in to be having my strings taken again."

"Gengar! Gen genga gengar gar gen gar gen ga!" Trépas suddenly piped up, squirming in her hold and shifting more against her.

"Hm...? How can I not have that interpretation? There's been nothing that we've done that justifies our reasons to be out and about. The only time that I was actually 'liked' for something was when I was used and tested as a merciless weapon..." This is when Jaydin frowned and then leaned to the side to be resting more against the roof of the Tin Tower. The smooth shingles felt cool against her skin as she gave yet another sigh and pulled the small Gengar close against her.

"I even came back here after I was able to get rid of Nova... the only reason there was to see if I could be earning the love of someone I still have great feelings for. That's something I suppose will never happen, though – I don't blame Morty in the least. He's perhaps forgiven me for all that I've done, but the things I did when I first really got into this city aren't easily forgotten. I'm still amazed by the fact that I'm allowed to live here..."

"Tch... Gar gengar gen gen..." Trépas replied, turning his head away with a huff and folding his little arms over his chest.

Whatever it was he said caused a small chuckle to come from Jaydin as she opened her eyes a small bit and then gave a sidelong glance to Trépas. Lifting an arm, she then pet him on his head affectionately and then sat back up straight. Giving a small yawn, Jaydin shook her head and responded to him: "yeah, yeah... I know you don't like him – though, coming from you, that's nothing new. _Especially_ seeing as you don't like a lot of people."

Jaydin's smile returned for a brief moment before she leaned in and pecked the top of his head. That's when she continued, "but I'm glad that you're at least accepting of the fact that I do love him. I really appreciate that, Tré – you've always been there for me when I needed you most and I'm more than happy to be calling you my best friend... so just to know you're willing to support me even though so you don't like it is more than enough..."

A snort then came from Trépas again before his cheeks started to turn a slight rosy colour. It was when he felt Jaydin shift once more that he looked to her and saw that her smile had again faded. Upon seeing that, his ears drooped a small bit and he frowned. It seemed that even though there were some things that his human could be grateful for, it didn't stop her from having her mind on those things that she was initially thinking about.

Grasping at Jaydin's tank top hem, Trépas tugged on it gently to be getting her attention. Once he saw her tilt her head to be looking to him, he gave a small huff. That earned him a questioning look from Jaydin, though before she could ask him what he was thinking, he already asked, "ge gengar gen genga...?"

"Honestly...?" Jaydin started after a small moment's time. "I guess I see Morty for Morty now. Now that I'm not that thirteen year old girl that lived in Jubilife and was made to admire him from a distance till I could actually afford a boat pass to be coming here to Johto anymore, that is. If there's really anything I wish that I could be changing the way I interact with him now, it's the fact that I was such a problem when we were younger. Now that I'm older, I think I can see just how I must have made things hard for him with everything I did and then running to him to hide..."

"Gar gen gen gengar?"

"I am not..."

"Gengar gen..."

"... Well... then to give a more 'fresh' answer to that question, then I guess I'd have to say this," Jaydin started after realizing that Trépas was correct in accusing her of avoiding the initial question. "I guess it's because he's the one that cut the strings on me. Because he allowed for me to be free again, even if it was just the simple use of his abilities to be suppressing my memories and triggers in order to have Nova stay in a 'sleeping' state within me..."

"Gen genga gar."

"You know me far too well for your own good..."

"Hnpf..."

"However, yes. Though it's true what he was able to do for me when he learned about Nova, I could only continue to admire him more as he was willing to help me instead of push away a 'failed' human weapons project run by the nefarious Team Rocket. I guess it was something that made me see that there was more to him than just the fact that we merely specialize in the same thing and that I find myself attracted to his appearance."

"Gar ge gen gengar."

"I know I am..." Jaydin said, smiling as she turned her gaze in the direction of where the Gym would be. "But at least he doesn't pull a puppet's strings to make me do what he wants."


End file.
